Propane injection results
Propane injection results
This is the kit i am considering using:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2XS-PERFO...772wt_1178
Ive noticed a few threads on here pertaining to guys who have installed a propane injection system on their engines but there was never any long term results posted up. Im well aware of the potential issues with IDI engines and propane injection but I do not think it to be much of an issue with small amounts. The Ford IDI guys seem to get away with it quite a bit with no detonation issues. I have also seen it used on much older Class 8 truck engines from the 1950s. Those are also IDI. My engine is mostly stock with the exception of a K26 swap from the Garret. My goal is MPG increase and not necessarily a power increase although it would be nice. I already run WMO and of course that lowers the cost per paid gallon of fuel significantly. I am looking into a propane injection system. From what i can figure by doing some research the propane should not detonate at the lower concentrations safe to run in an engine until it is compressed. I am looking at the kit below and intend to run it off of a green coleman propane tank mounted under the hood to limit the run of fuel hose. Cheap to replace and you can refill them off of a larger tank. Has anyone run a setup for any length of time? Any noticeable results? How do you have it adjusted? Any detonation issues? Any thoughts would be great, ive never messed with supplemental propane injection except for those equipped with LPG carbs in heavy equipment.
This is the kit i am considering using:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2XS-PERFO...772wt_1178
did you ever calculate the consumption of gas?
IIRC 1-3% of the intake air.
I did a small test long ago and ended up with being too expensive.
Detonation becomes an issue unless you are able to retard timing.
If you run on such an amount that you can feel the support of gas then you need to retard timing and the cost of gas gets higher than for diesel.
This (in my opinion) makes sense only for emission reason or/and when gas is almost for free.
Tom
Hi,
did you ever calculate the consumption of gas?
IIRC 1-3% of the intake air.
I did a small test long ago and ended up with being too expensive.
Detonation becomes an issue unless you are able to retard timing.
If you run on such an amount that you can feel the support of gas then you need to retard timing and the cost of gas gets higher than for diesel.
This (in my opinion) makes sense only for emission reason or/and when gas is almost for free.
Tom
I got my kit off ebay as well. It is designed to use liquid propane, has a safety solenoid, boost activated switch, vaporizor and a vapor regulator at the intake before the turbo. It uses the vacuum before the turbo to draw the vapor in. The way the kit I have is designed only allows propane to be injected above a boost level you set, allows the amount to adjusted to the engine, and has the ability to be turned on or off as needed. I've dynod my car with and without propane, and showed a roughly 10% increase on power and 10-15% increase on MPG. Two years ago my dad and I got about 26-27mpg on a long road trip w/o propane. Last year, same road trip, we got about 30-31mpg with the propane on. I really like having the propane injection, but I also understand the risks involved and have been very carefull about how I put it in and tuned it. I hope you do it, and I hope it works out great for you!
82 300SD aka The Flyin Pumpkin (Gone): 7.5mm super M-pump, T3 60 trim turbo, Coldish air intake, A/W intercooler, propane injection, SW Boost and EGT gauges, Monark 265 nozzles, ported/polished cylinder head.
84 Euro 300D 4 sp: White with black trunk and hood. Blue cloth interior. Manual everything. 300DT front swaybar. C320 17" wheels. Now with the Flyin Pumpkins engine!
I am one of the ones that has propane injection on my car. But, I haven't run propane since last summer for various reasons. I would caution you to make sure that this kit has: 1) a means of regulating the amount of propane going into the system 2) a means of turning the system on and off from inside the car, and 3) a way that reglutates the amount being allowing into the engine based on engine air flow. It is VERY possible to inject too much propane into the engine and cause detonation. When I was tuning my system, I accidently had it up too high and it was detonating! That is the reason for #1, 2, and 3. If it is a constant flow type deal, it wll flow too much at idle, and only be "tuned" at a certain rpm. If you cant turn it off from inside the car, you run the risk of having a malfunction and nothing you can do about it at 60mph on the road. I would also caution against mounting a propane tank under the hood. The temps under the hood, even on the drivers side, are going to be pretty high. You can do as you like, but I have my tank mounted in the trunk for a reason. I got my kit off ebay as well. It is designed to use liquid propane, has a safety solenoid, boost activated switch, vaporizor and a vapor regulator at the intake before the turbo. It uses the vacuum before the turbo to draw the vapor in. The way the kit I have is designed only allows propane to be injected above a boost level you set, allows the amount to adjusted to the engine, and has the ability to be turned on or off as needed. I've dynod my car with and without propane, and showed a roughly 10% increase on power and 10-15% increase on MPG. Two years ago my dad and I got about 26-27mpg on a long road trip w/o propane. Last year, same road trip, we got about 30-31mpg with the propane on. I really like having the propane injection, but I also understand the risks involved and have been very carefull about how I put it in and tuned it. I hope you do it, and I hope it works out great for you!
82 300SD aka The Flyin Pumpkin (Gone): 7.5mm super M-pump, T3 60 trim turbo, Coldish air intake, A/W intercooler, propane injection, SW Boost and EGT gauges, Monark 265 nozzles, ported/polished cylinder head.
84 Euro 300D 4 sp: White with black trunk and hood. Blue cloth interior. Manual everything. 300DT front swaybar. C320 17" wheels. Now with the Flyin Pumpkins engine!
My tank is a 22gal unit, mounted right up against the rear seat. I usually would put about 15 gallons in it, and that would last around 4000 miles or so for normal everyday driving. For the road trip, I'm sorry but I don't remember how much it used. I'm all but positive it was less than 10 gallons though, maybe more like 5 or 6 gallons. The whole trip was roughly 2.2k miles, almost all at highway speeds using the propane. I feel like it does pay off against diesel. Propane here is anywhere from 2.50 - 3.00/gallon. 4000 miles using about 15 gallons of propane is 266 miles per gallon of propane. That is about 1 cent per mile for propane, give or take a little, depending on how much I end up paying for it. About 1 cent per mile is just fine with me! Getting 10% better power and better milage to boot.
I'll be refilling the propane tank again soon. But, I've been working on getting the 7.5mm pump set correctly, timing set correctly, intercooler reconnected, and prechambers set correctly. Once those are done (assuming this week at the moment), I'll be refilling the propane tank and seeing how it does.
82 300SD aka The Flyin Pumpkin (Gone): 7.5mm super M-pump, T3 60 trim turbo, Coldish air intake, A/W intercooler, propane injection, SW Boost and EGT gauges, Monark 265 nozzles, ported/polished cylinder head.
84 Euro 300D 4 sp: White with black trunk and hood. Blue cloth interior. Manual everything. 300DT front swaybar. C320 17" wheels. Now with the Flyin Pumpkins engine!
So I just rechecked a couple things. For the road trip last year, we put the 2.65 diff and some different tires on my car. The year before that, we just had the taller tires. So, that screws up the whole comparison thing. My bad, forgot about the differences. But, I do know that I had measured the fuel economy and it was about 10-15% better with the propane; with city and highway driving.
My tank is a 22gal unit, mounted right up against the rear seat. I usually would put about 15 gallons in it, and that would last around 4000 miles or so for normal everyday driving. For the road trip, I'm sorry but I don't remember how much it used. I'm all but positive it was less than 10 gallons though, maybe more like 5 or 6 gallons. The whole trip was roughly 2.2k miles, almost all at highway speeds using the propane. I feel like it does pay off against diesel. Propane here is anywhere from 2.50 - 3.00/gallon. 4000 miles using about 15 gallons of propane is 266 miles per gallon of propane. That is about 1 cent per mile for propane, give or take a little, depending on how much I end up paying for it. About 1 cent per mile is just fine with me! Getting 10% better power and better milage to boot.
I'll be refilling the propane tank again soon. But, I've been working on getting the 7.5mm pump set correctly, timing set correctly, intercooler reconnected, and prechambers set correctly. Once those are done (assuming this week at the moment), I'll be refilling the propane tank and seeing how it does.
82 300SD aka The Flyin Pumpkin (Gone): 7.5mm super M-pump, T3 60 trim turbo, Coldish air intake, A/W intercooler, propane injection, SW Boost and EGT gauges, Monark 265 nozzles, ported/polished cylinder head.
84 Euro 300D 4 sp: White with black trunk and hood. Blue cloth interior. Manual everything. 300DT front swaybar. C320 17" wheels. Now with the Flyin Pumpkins engine!
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